Feudalism & Social Structure

 Land granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for service.

A code of conduct for knights emphasizing bravery, honor, and protection of the weak, especially women and the Church.

The process of vassals subdividing their land and becoming lords to their own vassals.

The symbolic act of granting land to a vassal, often through the giving of a sword or other object.

Nobles who owned land and had vassals under them; provided protection and justice within their fiefs.

Fortified homes of nobility that provided protection during times of war and served as local centers of power.

A vassal’s formal acknowledgment of loyalty and submission to his lord.

The second stage of knight training, serving a knight and learning combat skills.

A person who pledged loyalty to a lord in exchange for land and protection.

Agricultural method- land was divided into three parts— spring crops, fall crops, and one left fallow—to improve product

Decentralized system of government in medieval Europe- lords gave land to vassals for loyalty and military service

The estate of a feudal lord; the basic economic unit of the Middle Ages

A young boy in the first stage of knightly training, learning manners, reading, and basic skills.

The required days of labor serfs had to perform for their lord each week, typically working his demesne fields.

The land on a manor directly controlled and farmed by the lord for his own benefit.

Peasants who were bound to the land and owed labor & a share of their crops to the lord; not slaves, but had few rights.

A mounted warrior who pledged to defend his lord’s land in exchange for a fief.